Elephant Vasectomies: How Vets Pull It Off

Photo: National Geographic Society

Elephants used to be endangered. Now they’re in danger of overrunning South African game preserves, where they breed like rabbits—rabbits that gobble a quarter ton of vegetation a day. Their numbers had to be reduced, but culling the herd seemed heartless. So the Elephant Population Management Program, which is underwritten by Disney’s Animal Kingdom, came up with an alternative: Don’t cut the herd; just cut the relevant component—the vas deferens. The procedure is tricky, since a bull’s cantaloupe-sized testicles are in the small of his back. (Kinda makes more sense than having them dangling on the outside, actually.) Here’s how the vets—pardon the expression—pull it off.

1. A biologist identifies a 5-ton bull from a helicopter and darts him with enough etorphine, a potent anaesthetic, to, well, knock out an elephant. Within 12 minutes, the patient is unconscious and safe to work on.

2. The animal is intubated with a 5.3-foot-long tube down his trachea. Vitals like blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature are monitored.

3. A truck moves the animal to a mobile surgical site where a sling attached to a crane holds him in position. Surgeons make an 8-inch incision in one side of the abdomen and insert a 3.3-foot-long laparoscope.

4. A section of the vas deferens is removed to obstruct the flow of sperm. One team closes the incision using strong nylon and stainless steel sutures while another team goes to work on the other side.

5. Once the surgery is complete, vets inject pain meds and antibiotics. The bull is removed from the sling, and a radio collar is placed around his neck so he can be monitored for six to 12 months.

6. Anesthetic-reversal agents are administered. The pachyderm stands up within five minutes and then traipses off into the bush to join his herd none the wiser. Dumbo will shoot blanks for the rest of his life.